Black Bird
The Falcon, Black Falcon or the Black Bird is a mysterious treasure that all thieves seek. It is said to be worth "a King's Ransom!" or more. Unfortunately, although four were made, only one real one exists, it has been lost to time. The three other fakes and forgeries have appeared the world over and are sometimes being passed off as the "real thing" by less "honorable" members of our "noble" profession. The real Black Bird, if it does exist, remains lost in the ether.... The Known Black Birds The Hero first sees a Black Bird in the hoard of the Brigands, however he doesn't pick it up"That black bird looks strangely familiar. You sense that its destiny is irrevocably entwined with yours, in a strange foreshadowing of the rest of the "Quest for Glory" series (QFG1VGA). In Raseir, the thief Ferrari hires the Hero to steal the Falcon from the home of the ruthless Captain of the Raseirian Guards, Khaveen. Upon successful completion and return to Ferrari, though, it is revealed to be in fact a fake, much to Ferrari's amused disappointment (at least he took it well). It is Ferrari, in fact, who admits to the Hero that there were four black birds made but only one had any value. Another blackbird (a cheap plaster imitation) is for sale in the Tarna city bazaar at the Junk Shop of An Forda & Son. Only the Thief character type can actually find and purchase this particular blackbird, not that it really matters as it, along with all other possessions, is lost to the Hero during the impromtu trip to Mordavia. The next known Black Bird (another cheap plaster imitation) is found inside the Dark One Monastery, just above the main door in a small alcove. It can be claimed either by climbing up the wall and walking across the small ledge between its resting place and the door, or by simply using the Fetch Spell. If the character is imported into QFGV, the black bird appears in the Thief's inventory upon his arrival (however it does not appear in the inventory of new characters created in QFGV). In Silmaria, it is possible to encounter three Black Birds! The first one is the one imported into the game from a thief's file (from Mordavia). The second, at long last, is the real Black Bird which turns up in Minos's possession, and can be stolen from him if the Hero has Thief Skills. After successfully pinching it, the Hero should take it to Wolfie, the artisan, to have him bang out one last fake, then give the real one to Ferrari, to obtain the deed to Gnome Ann's Inn. A little later the Hero should then "let himself in" to Ferrari's home on Nob Hill, and swap his fake for the real one, and helping himself to some of Ferrari's more valuable personal possessions. Finally, the Hero should take the real bird down to the Thieve's Guild, show it to Arrestes, and thus secure his stranglehold on the title of Silmaria's Chief Thief! Trivia *There were originally only four black birds in existence, three forgeries and the real black birdSignor Ferarri: "Do you know what we have here? The sole reason I came to this desert-driven country. For seventeen years, I have sought the black bird. I alone knew that this bird was worth a sultan's ransom. Let me look, let me see. It seems the joke is upon me. This is not the real black Falcon. There were four of these made. Only one had any value. (there was later five after Wolfie created another forgery). The Hero runs into four black birds during the course of QFG1-4, at least three of these are forgeries. This means that the Hero must have run into the same forgery twice or inadvertantly seen the real one back in QFG1. The forgery in Khaveen's possession and the forgery within Mordavia had been in place long before the Hero came upon them. This means that the black bird in Brigands hideout is either the "REAL" blackbird, or the one he bought in Tarna. *The Falcon is loosely based on The Maltese Falcon, from the movie of the same name, and clearly just as elusive... *In QFG1 EGA, the bird is not described, looking at it brings up the comment, "Used to belong to Bogey". *In QFG1 VGA, it is described as a "black bird". It is said to look "strangely familiar", and that its "destiny is irrevocably entwined" with the Hero's. *In QFG2, Ferrari, refers to the black bird as the Falcon. He refers to as a black bird, but uses Falcon as its proper name. The game also makes reference to as the Black Falcon"...you realize that he was referring to the Black Falcon.". *In QFG3, its proper name isn't mentioned, the Falcon is referred to as the blackbird by An Forda & son and also within the inventory, and most descriptions. It is described as a black bird sculpture, while it rests on the table. It is referred to as the Black Bird in the shopping screen (but all items sold at each shop are capitalized on the shop screens) *In QFG4 is referred to as the fabled Black Bird while in the alcove. It is also titled, "Black Bird" in the inventory, however the long description refers to it as a cheap plaster imitation of the "REAL black bird" (most items in the game capitalized in title, but not in description). It is also described as a sculpture of a "black falcon". References